Hall of Fame snubs Queensland legends

MAROONS legends Kevin Walters, Steve Renouf and Paul Vautin have all missed out in an NRL Hall of Fame selection shock which has seen not one Queenslander picked from this year's list of 25 names.

Rugby league greats Danny Buderus, Stacey Jones, Ruben Wiki and Craig Young were announced as this year's inductees ahead of Wednesday night's formal Hall of Fame celebration dinner in Sydney.

The Maroons snubbing also saw Gary Belcher, Rod Reddy and Michael Hancock miss out on being inducted into the prestigious Hall of Fame, which already features legends such as Wally Lewis, Gorden Tallis and Allan Langer.

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Surely these legends are Hall of Famers?

A 24-person voting group, which includes Queensland Hall of Famers Darren Lockyer, Petero Civoneceva and Shane Webcke, whittled down a list of 25 nominees to the four chosen players.

Buderus, Jones, Wiki and Young boast more than 100 internationals and six premiership appearances.

However, it will come as a shock to Queensland fans that no Maroons representative was selected.

Walters, Renouf and Vautin alone share 11 premiership wins, 68 Origins and 45 Tests between them. Belcher, one of Queensland's greatest fullbacks, played 15 games for Australia between 1986 and 1991 and won two premierships.

There’ll be no bling for Queensland this time. Photo: Toby Zerna

The four inductees will join the 106 other Hall of Fame members and will be formally inducted on Wednesday night.

NRL Chief Executive Todd Greenberg said the four inductees were all worthy recipients of the honour.

"All four of our player inductees will stand proudly alongside the 106 players who they will join in the Hall of Fame," Greenberg said.

"These are some of the best players of their generations, and they will now join the best of the best.

"They each dominated their respective eras and commanded enormous respect. They still do.

"This year's Hall of Fame class is an exceptional one. We will be recognising greatness when our latest Class are formally inducted."

Civoniceva made the cut last year but didn’t include a Queenslander. Photo: Adam Head

Senior Manager of NRL Awards Frank Puletua said the induction ceremony would be one of the most important nights on the calendar.

"This year, we will be acknowledging our contributors as well as our players," Mr Puletua said.

"The Hall of Fame induction has become an incredibly important night for the game as we take the opportunity to reflect on our pioneers and our finest players.

"All four of our player inductees can now forever be known as Hall of Famers, and that only adds to their standing in the game."

Three contributors - one each from Administration, Broadcast Media and Print Media - will be announced on Tuesday ahead of the formal induction.